Hey there, night owls and caffeine enthusiasts! As college students, we're all too familiar with "burning the midnight oil", fueled by deadlines, exams, and a never-ending to-do list. However, in the hustle and bustle of student life, one crucial aspect often takes a back seat – our sleep. That's why we're here to shed light on Sleep Awareness Week, an annual event dedicated to highlighting the importance of quality sleep. So, grab your favorite cozy blanket and let's dive into the world of Zzzs. The Importance of Sleep :   We all know the struggle of balancing academics, social life, and personal growth, but it's crucial to understand that sleep is not a luxury; it's a necessity. Quality sleep plays a vital role in maintaining both physical and mental well-being. Lack of sleep can lead to increased stress, impaired cognitive function, and even negatively impact our immune system. So, let's prioritize those seven to nine hours of restful sleep

With February being Body Awareness Month and also the "month of love" according to the Valentine's holiday, we are going to dive into how body image can have an impact, both positive and negative, on your dating life and relationships.  But what actually is body image? It's definitely a term that has come up more in the last few years, especially with the various "Body Positive" movements, but in our experience, there isn't always clarity on what exactly it stands for and represents. So let's define it before looking at it's impact.   Body image refers to an individual's perception, thoughts, and feelings about their own body. It involves how one sees themselves when they look in the mirror, how they feel about their body size, shape, and appearance, and the thoughts and beliefs they have about their physical self. Body image is a subjective experience and can be influenced by various factors, including societal standards, media representatio

As we go into the holiday season, you might be experiencing some anxiety, frustrations, or even unhappiness about being around certain people. These people might be the type that do not respect your boundaries, voice their opinions unwarranted, or even assume that you have the same beliefs/ideas/priorities as them. Although it can be very common to be engrained growing up that we have to be respectful and listen to others no matter what they talk about, this mentality can be very harmful, especially depending on the topic or things being said.  Establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries is an essential aspect of self-care and personal well-being. In our journey through life, we often find ourselves in situations where we need to decline conversations without compromising our own mental and emotional health. It's crucial to communicate our boundaries with respect and assertiveness, especially when certain topics or behaviors are not okay. In this blog, we'll explore a range

  Compassion fatigue is often defined as the emotional and physical tiredness and/ or depletion as the result of helping others ease their own pain and suffering. Compassion fatigue is analogous with vicarious trauma, or second-hand trauma, through helping or working with someone who has or is currently going through a trauma. Psychologist Charles Figley, provided a holistic definition of compassion fatigue as “a state of exhaustion and dysfunction, biologically, physiologically and emotionally, as a result of prolonged exposure to compassion stress .” Individuals that most often report symptoms of compassion fatigue including people who work in professions of caregiving or immediate, critical care of others. These include: first responders(dispatchers, fire fighters, police officers, EMS), health care professionals(nurses, doctors, hospital staff), mental health providers(counselors, social workers, psychiatrists), and many more caregiving professions. Compassion fatigue occurs when a

On the next line, you're going to read something that might be scary... MIDTERMS ARE HERE Let's just take a second to validate any and all feelings that come up when you read that. The midterm scaries are a real thing and can bring about a lot of fear and spooky vibes.  It's a totally normal thing to feel stressed about midterms, but sometimes that stress can be overwhelming and come with a lot of self-doubt, anxiety symptoms, focus and motivation issues, and overall unpleasant feelings.  As we enter into midterm territory, we want to offer some helpful reminders and tools to utilize, so that you don't come out of this as a zombie... First thing to combat the feelings of being overwhelmed or not knowing what to start studying, do a brain dump. Make a list of everything that is swimming around in your mind, especially the things causing you to feel stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed. Doing this allows you to check-in with yourself and shed light on the things that impacti

Resources for Suicide Prevention https://988lifeline.org/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=onebox https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/suicide-prevention-month https://988lifeline.org/how-we-can-all-prevent-suicide/ https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Suicide-Prevention-Month https://www.dhs.gov/employee-resources/news/2023/09/06/september-suicide-prevention-and-awareness-month https://www.nimh.nih.gov/get-involved/digital-toolkit-for-suicide-prevention-month Resources for Loss Survivors of Suicide https://sprc.org/tools/resources-survivors-suicide-loss/ https://afsp.org/taking-care-of-yourself/ https://988lifeline.org/help-yourself/loss-survivors/ https://afsp.org/ive-lost-someone/ https://allianceofhope.org/ https://health.maryland.gov/bha/suicideprevention/Documents/What%20Survivors%20of%20Suicide%20Want%20You%20to%20Know.pdf https://loss.helplinecenter.org/suicide-loss-and-grief/ https://dr-kari.com/my-approach/common-humanity#:~:text=This%20idea%20of